ULTIMATE OLD TIME RADIO - Listening to Old Time Radio

Fred Allen Show

12/3/2019

Fred Allen was considered the finest satirist on radio and maybe of the 20th century. He began his career in show business as a juggler and added comedy into the act. He'd go on to be the hardest work comedian in vaudeville and eventually on radio. He would write most of his material and had the respect of the writers for his keen sense of timing and quick add lib wit. He also was beloved and considered one of the kindest men in show business. The long running feud with rival Jack Benny was all for show in real life they loved and respected each other very much. His radio career span the entirety of golden age and ended when his top rated show was replaced by the game show radio fad.

To celebrate the genius of Fred Allen here are 2 episodes guest starring Jack Benny and Phil Harris....

The Mel Blanc Show-Thanksgiving

11/29/2019

Mel Blanc "the man of thousand voices" begin on radio on the Jack Benny Show, Benny's shows popularity spawned numerous spin offs from Dennis Day Show to Phil Harris/Alice Faye and Mel got his big break there too in 1946. Known as Mel's Fix-it-Shop the show was a showcase for his voice talents letting him create characters like he did famously on Benny's show.

Mel is probably best known for the voice of Bugs Bunny and the rest of Warner Bros Looney Tunes gang,

Here is a Thanksgiving episode from 1946....

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

11/28/2019

Hello and happiest of Holidays...I'm visiting my friends for the Holiday and no time to give a long detailed post! Hahahaha But I wanted to share a couple great holiday episodes from 2 of my favorite series from the Golden Age....First we have the quirky and charming Vic and Sade with son Rush having a rough Holiday and the always wonderful Great Gildersleeve!

Enjoy these with your family and have the most wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!!!!

Life with Luigi Thanksgiving Celebration

11/26/2019

As with every episode the J. Carol Nash as Luigi writes to his Mama Basco about his life in America and this time he's celebrating the true meaning of Thanksgiving and being Thankful even if its for his usually undeserving friend Pasquali played by Alan Reed (The voice of Fred Flintstone)...Fun episode of Life with Luigi...Enjoy!

Thanksgiving with My Friend Irma

11/25/2019

My Friend Irma chronicled the lives of Jane played by Cathy Lewis and her innocent but naïve roommate and best friend Irma Peterson played wonderfully by Marie Wilson. Irma held a view of the world and people that made her child like. They had a wonderful cast of characters from Jane's boyfriend Richard, Landlady Mrs. O'Reilly, neighbor Professor Kropotkin and Irma's shifty boyfriend Al.

The show was a success for CBS and would move to TV in 1952 and to the movies 1949 launch the careers of famous comedy team, Martin and Lewis.

This show shows how big Irma heart and how she can screw things up when she decides to have her friends over for the best Thanksgiving ever.

Abbott and Costello Thanksgiving show

11/24/2019

Our favorite comedy team Abbott and Costello had long career entertaining folks on stage, radio, movies and eventually on TV. Their comedy timing was genius and had way of taking confusing vernacular and making comic gold. They appeared on ABC with long time sponsor Camel Cigarettes.

Here is the duo celebrating the Holiday together with the rest of the crew with Costello making it almost impossible for Abbott to have his sophisticated dinner he dreams of...Enjoy!

The Fat Man

11/22/2019

The Fat Man was a hard-boiled Detective based on a character created from Dashiell Hammett novels. Jack Smart played the heavy weight detective Brad Runyon from1946 until 1950 on ABC. The show had one of the more memorable show openings the listeners hear someone putting a penny into a drug store scale and female voice announces "Weight?...237 pounds." sound of the Fortune dropping and woman says "Fortune-Danger!" and "who is it?" Runyon announces "The Fat Man!". The stories were like any other Detective show from the 1940's radio only difference is the character lack of luck with the ladies. Jack Smart in real life was a very big man and his voice is perfect for the character.

Here is an episode of The Fat Man from February 11 of 1946....

Richard Diamond, Private Eye

11/21/2019

I placed Richard Diamond, Private eye number 2 on the top-5-detective-shows-on-old-time-radio
But it is my absolute favorite Detective show I personally love it, I think its the best combination of funny and dramatic and has Dick Powell wonderful performance as Diamond. Dick Powell desperately wanted to shake his "song and dance man" label and do more dramatic roles in movie and radio but it's the combo and his singing that makes him so great!

One of the more silly parts but I always enjoy is the relationship between Rick and Sgt Otis the police stooge the insults clever and silly lighten the mood before the more gritty parts of the story.

Here is another great episode that aired 69 years ago tomorrow...Enjoy!

The Falcon

11/20/2019

Based on a character for RKO series of movies with character named Gay Lawrence once The Falcon was on radio he was renamed Michael Warning a freelance detective. Played most famously by Les Tremayne but was also played by James Meighan, Les Damon and George Petrie. The show had a long run from 1943 until 1953. Filed with sharp snappy dialog the show was in tradition of Ellery Queen and Richard Diamond. It had a famous sponsor Gem Razor Blades and its famous commercials.

Listen a great Falcon episodes here...

Candy Matson

11/19/2019

A real novelty among the Detective shows of Golden age was Candy Matson running for 2 season on NBC (1949-1951). The show used their female lead as a plot point but kept it a true detective series. Starring Natalie Masters as Matson and Jack Thomas as her guy Friday, Rembrandt. Candy's love interest on the show was Police Detective Ray Mallard who eventually in the last show would ask Candy to marry him.

Based in San Francisco (Which seemed to find many detectives of the era?) Candy solved crimes that many her male PI's might not take.

Here is a great episode showcasing the shows sultry voice lead...Enjoy!